


White Rabbit

by noctuua



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drugs, Dubious Consent, Erwin is a Spotify user, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, F/M, Jealous Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Protective Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Recreational Drug Use, Sugar Daddy Erwin Smith
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-10
Updated: 2019-09-16
Packaged: 2020-10-13 21:54:58
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20589722
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noctuua/pseuds/noctuua
Summary: Gazing down at your phone in disbelief, your eyes drift to the fresh tattoo etched into the inside of your wrist. The small, simple outline of a rabbit mid-leap sits on the delicate skin, the mark Erwin requires all of his dealers to bare.News that Erwin is the kingpin of White Rabbit comes as no surprise, the largest and most notorious drug supplier in the city. What is shocking is that he wants you to become one of his dealers, alongside Mike, his girlfriend Nanaba and many others.“Follow the white rabbit,” he’d murmured against your neck before sucking an angry, purple bruise into the supple flesh.Eliana (reader) is Mike Zacharias' younger sister working a shitty part-time job in a café that Levi frequents while also trying to manage graduate school and the rest of her financial issues. As she and Levi attempt to navigate a new and exciting relationship, Mike's best friend, Erwin Smith, offers Ellie the opportunity of a lifetime: he'll wipe away her debt if only she agrees to work for him as a dealer.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So I know I haven't finished _Fire Walk with Me_ yet and I absolutely plan on finishing it, but this idea popped into my head today and I had to write it down. 
> 
> Reader is Eliana Zacharias, Mike's 22 year old sister. All will be revealed in the upcoming chapters!
> 
> Reader beware: there will be mentions of drugs and recreational drug use. Furthermore, Erwin is a sadist and Mike's childhood best friend. There will be mentions of dubious consent between Erwin and Eliana, but the only romantic and sexual relationship will be between Eliana (reader) and Levi. 
> 
> I've become annoyingly accustomed to writing in second person but wanted to give the character a name without using "Y/N" or "Y/L/N", so I created this character for convenience and also I really like Mike! Although he's not the best big brother in this fic haha.

“So, this knob here controls the steamer and you can find all the coffee grounds and tea leaves under here.” The blonde girl gestures towards the cabinet beneath the counter. Her nametag reads “Lena” and you’re pretty sure she’s only 17, a disinterested scowl permanently plastered to her face. You nod absentmindedly; you’ve worked in cafés before and it’s always the same. The only thing you really need to learn is how the register works, but even that’s generally a similar process.

Your first shift goes by quickly, service slowing down after breakfast and picking up again during lunch. You’re in the middle of fixing an incorrect order on the register tablet when you’re alerted to a new customer by soft footsteps against the wood floor. 

You glance up quickly, shooting the man an apologetic smile. “Sorry, sir, just fixing something. I’ll just be another minute.”

He sighs, a soft huff of annoyance, but waits otherwise patiently. You correct the order and look up finally, a grin spreading across your face. 

“My apologies again, sir. How can I help you today?” 

“You’re new,” he comments flatly. Despite his surliness, the man is incredibly handsome with an angular jaw, a youthful yet stern face and jet-black hair styled in an undercut. He’s of short stature, but being 5’1” yourself, he’s still a bit taller. His steely eyes bore into your own, so intense you feel your face flushing under his heavy scrutiny. 

“I just started today, sir,” you respond hesitantly. There’s no one in line behind him so he doesn’t seem to be in any sort of rush.

He stares at you for another brief moment before ordering.

“I’ll have a medium green dragon oolong.” He holds his credit card between two fingers and offers it to you. You ring him up quickly and begin to make his tea. 

Your skin prickles, a tingling sensation that generally occurs when someone’s staring at you, but every time you glance over at the man, he’s busy scrolling away at his phone. Three minutes later, you hand him his cup, your fingers brushing against his as he takes it in his hand. 

“Have a nice day, sir,” you chirp, a toothy grin in place. You’re taken aback as he clicks his tongue, turning on his heel to leave the café. You watch as he pauses outside to take a sip, your heart pounding as a small frown forms before he continues on his way.

_I just lost us a customer_, you think frantically, heart racing. _Great start to your first day_.

The remainder of your shift passes without incident, the job easy enough and stress-free. You spend most of it wondering about the strange man and thinking about your classes. While you’re only taking two classes this semester, the curriculum has proven to be tougher than you’d expected. You’ve always found school easy—you’d graduated magna cum laude during your undergraduate degree at the age of 21 and immediately begun a two-year, part-time business masters. One year down and you only have 60 credits left, but you’d saved all the financial courses for your second year and you’re sincerely beginning to regret that decision. Mathematics has never been your strong suit. 

In addition to the pressures of school, you’ve recently run into some issues with money, hence the new café job. It’s not ideal but you’re desperate for cash and have the free time, barely. Your studio apartment is sucking you dry, the situation exacerbated by the cost of your tuition. Last month, you’d borrowed €54,000 and have no idea how you’re ever going to pay it back. 

You head to the library after work to get some studying done. Hours later, you still don’t understand preferred stock, dividends or callability. The concepts fly right over your head and you’ve been rereading the same two pages over and over again. Deciding to call it a night, you head back to your apartment, hood secured tightly around your face to avoid passers-by. 

It’s close to midnight by the time you make it home, your feet dragging with every step. As you round the corner to your apartment, a white piece of paper taped to your door catches your eye. 

_To: Eliana Zacharias  
Re: Failure to Pay Rent – 14 Day Warning Notice – Notice served pursuant to section 67(3) of the Residential Tenancies Act, 2004_

_This notice relates to your tenancy of the dwelling at 34 Driscoll St._

_You have failed to pay rent in accordance with the terms of the tenancy agreement and your obligations under the Residential Tenancies Act, 2004._

_Your rent arrears are now in the sum of €850 as of 4 June 2019. _

_If you fail to pay the rent arrears due within 14 days, the landlord is permitted to terminate the tenancy giving you 28 days notice and by serving a notice of termination on you._

_This notice is served on 4 June 2019._

_Signed: Keith Shadis_

You pull the notice from your door and let out a heavy sigh, unlocking your door quickly and entering the apartment. You’re too exhausted to deal with this now, so you leave the paper on your kitchen counter and flop onto your bed. You’re asleep within seconds. 

The next morning you awaken to the steady twitter of birds, sunlight streaming through the window and onto your face. You check the time on your phone and feel your heart stop. It’s a quarter past 7 leaving you with 45 minutes to make it to work. You throw on a pair of leggings and a loose shirt, hastily washing your hair in the sink, water splashing onto the floor. You don’t have time to wipe it up as you grab your bag and hurry to work.

You arrive with 5 minutes to spare, chest heaving and face ruddy from running. Lena raises an eyebrow at you but doesn’t comment, handing you the broom to finish sweeping before the shop opens. By 9, your complexion has returned to normal and your hair has mostly dried in thick waves that tumble down your back. Lena wears her hair down as well and hasn’t mentioned any policies so you figure it’s fine. 

You learn quickly that the young girl despises work and spends most of her time in the back room on her phone. It doesn’t bother you too much as she’s always present during the morning and afternoon rush, while the rest of the day passes with few customers. Bored, you place your notes next to the register, out of sight from customers, and begin reading.

“Excuse me.”

Your head jerks up at the sudden voice, gruff and impatient. You hadn’t even heard the approaching footsteps. Eyes focusing, your lids click as you blink rapidly, realising that the sullen man has returned. You smile at him apologetically, reminiscent of yesterday. 

“Sorry, sir, I didn’t see you there!”

He ignores you, his brow furrowing.

“What’re you reading?” He inquires instead. You look down at your notes and then back at him, cheeks glowing.

“My corporate finance notes, sir.” 

He gives you a long look, his expression unchanging. Your heartrate increases. 

“I’ll have a medium green dragon oolong again,” he finally states, credit card already in hand. You ring him up and begin his tea once more. Looking over your shoulder, you see he’s tapping away at his phone.

“So, you enjoyed the tea?” You ask lightly, turning back to the task at hand. He clicks his tongue.

“I wouldn’t be getting it again if I didn’t,” he replies blandly, as if you’d just asked the stupidest question in the world. You laugh in response. 

“I guess you’re right, sir. It just didn’t look like it when you tasted it.”

You turn back to him and hand him the tea. Your fingers brush together again and this time a spark jolts through you. You suck in a breath but he seems unaffected. He frowns at you and you smile sheepishly.

“Actually,” he says slowly, “I was quite surprised by how not shitty it was.”

Your eyebrow quirks unintentionally and you hold back a burst of laughter.

“Thanks, I think?”

He shrugs. “Most people fuck it up and it’s either too sweet or too bitter. Too hot or too cold. Yours wasn’t.”

“Well, I’m glad it was to your liking,” you inform him with another smile. “Have a lovely day, sir.”

He frowns again and your smile falters. 

“Thanks,” he replies, leaning forward a bit and squinting at your chest. You’re on the verge of telling him to fuck off when you realise he’s trying to get a better look at your nametag. “Ellie.”

He leaves the shop and you release a breath you hadn’t noticed you were holding. The handsome man puts you on edge in a way that you’re unaccustomed to. It’s not that you have no experience talking to men, in fact you’ve been known to be quite flirty. But this one is intimidatingly good looking and has such a serious way of speaking, despite the vulgar language. You actually think it adds to his strange charm. You find yourself hoping to see him tomorrow before you remember that you have class. 

_There’s always the next day_, you think. The rest of the day passes quickly.  
_______________________________

It turns out there’s no point in you attending your classes with how little you understand the material. You’re preoccupied throughout every lecture with musings about the handsome stranger. What does he do? Why is he always so surly? You don’t even know his name. 

On a completely unrelated note, you’re becoming increasingly worried about your financial troubles. Having calculated your first paycheck, which is due at the end of the week, there’s no way you’ll have enough to pay your rent and eat for another week. _Maybe it’s time to call Mike_, you think. The thought makes you cringe and sigh in frustration. You actively try not to contact your brother unless it’s absolutely necessary. It’s been months since the last time you spoke. It’s not that you and Mike have a bad relationship—it’s always been amicable. But your brother is eleven years your senior, so you’ve never been close. He’d always had questionable friends over, boys who made your skin crawl, and as soon as you’d turned 17, you’d gotten your own place on the other side of town. You hate having to ask him for money, but Mike is still your older brother and the only family you have left. It’s the only option you’re willing to consider as of now. 

You text him after class.

_EZ: Do you have time to talk?_

_MZ: Call me at 5._

You study at the library for a couple of hours before heading home at 5. You call him as you walk.

“What’s up, Elle?” There’s music bumping in the background and you sigh.

“I need to ask you a favour.”

He pauses. “Okay…?”

“I can’t afford my rent this month.” You hear Mike exhale on the other end, the music fading away followed by the clicking of a door.

“And what, you want me to pay it?” He asks, annoyed.

“Please, Mike,” you respond, desperation tinting your voice. “I used the rest of mom and dad’s money to put as much towards tuition as possible. I just need to get a few paychecks and I’ll figure out the rest.”

There’s silence from Mike’s end. You can practically hear the cogs turning in his head.

“I’m sorry, Elle,” he says. It sounds sincere. “I fronted something the other day and don’t have the funds right now to support you.”

A lump forms in your throat and tears sting at the corners of your eyes.

“Aren’t you making tons of money at your shitty club?” You ask frustratedly. 

“I said I’m sorry, Elle,” he responds, ignoring your jab. “You should call Erwin, I can send you his number. He’ll definitely be able to help you out.”

A shudder rolls through you at the mention of his name. Erwin and Mike have been friends since before you were born and despite their close relationship, the man had always given you the creeps. He was incredibly handsome, you hate to admit, broad, tall and blonde. Erwin had a commanding presence, one that attracted a lot of attention. But you’d always been wary of him, the way his blue eyes trailed hungrily over your body, always finding a way to get his hands on you. It’s not that he was never friendly, in fact, he was always too friendly. But his smiles never reached his eyes and it unnerved you. You’re not sure what Erwin is up to now, but you know he and Mike have remained close and from what you can gather, the man is rolling in money. You’re so desperate you accept Mike’s offer. Once you hang up, a message pops up on your screen.

_MZ has shared ES’s contact information._

You send Erwin a text, reluctant. 

_EZ: Hey Erwin, it’s Eliana, Mike gave me your number. Could we talk? I have a favour to ask._

He responds almost immediately, the dots that indicate he’s typing appearing in the message window.

_ES: Of course, Elle. Meet me at Alice next Friday at 3. _

You breathe out a long sigh, your hands shaking as you pocket your phone. That gives you a week and a half to rethink your decision. You go home and fall asleep watching Netflix.  
_______________________________

At 1pm on the dot, same as the previous days, the handsome man walks through the door, his expensive suit jacket hung neatly over his elbow. The sleeves of his shirt are rolled to the elbow and you wet your lips at the sight of his toned forearm, his biceps straining against the white cloth. You grin at him as he approaches the counter.

“You were absent yesterday,” he notes, voice neutral, scowl firmly in place.

“I had class,” you chuckle in response. He nods his head slightly, hand placed lightly against the counter. 

Without asking, you begin to make his tea and the furrow in his brow deepens. He watches you silently.

You turn suddenly, waiting for the water to boil. “Why? Did you miss me?” 

He sucks his teeth and narrows his eyes.

“Shitty brat. You’re the only one is the damn place that knows how to make a proper oolong.”

You laugh heartily at that, glancing back into the storeroom where Lena sits on her phone, unaware of what the man’s just said. 

You take a chance and wink cheekily. “I missed you too, sir.”

His mouth twitches as he hands you his credit card and you charge him. 

“Don’t call me sir,” he mutters, taking back his card. “It’s too formal. You can call me Levi.”

Your heart hammers in your chest and you lean forward slightly, hips pressing into the counter. 

“I missed you too, Levi,” you lilt, smirking at him with a sparkle in your eye. He rolls his eyes at you and leaves. You go back to studying your notes.  
_______________________________

On Friday, you’re surprised to see Levi stroll through the door right as you open. You hadn’t gotten much sleep the night before and you yawn behind your hand, stretching tiredly as you approach the register. Something in the back of your mind registers as you focus on his face, a flicker of your dream from last night. You can’t place your finger on it, but your heart races at the sight of him. 

You start his tea before he reaches the counter, hands moving of their own accord. 

“Don’t you ever get anything else?” You ask him over your shoulder. You can feel his eyes on your back.

“You’re getting pretty fucking bold,” he says, amusement and annoyance dripping through his voice. You shoot him a heart-stopping grin and hand him his cup, skin brushing his. 

“Curiosity’s gotten the best of me,” you reply warmly. His hand lingers for a moment before he pulls away, handing you his card. 

“I only drink tea,” he offers uninterestedly. You hum in acknowledgement and hand his card back to him.

“A man of simple tastes.” He narrows his steely eyes at you and you laugh. How can a man of such few words make you laugh so much? You wave goodbye as he leaves.

Levi shows up again at 1 and you decide to make him something other than oolong. 

Steeping the tea leaves carefully, you make an impulsive call and scribble something on Levi’s cup while he’s not looking. After you ring him up, you smile at him, a dimple forming in your soft cheek.

He frowns. “You smile a lot.”

You gape at him for a moment, unsure of how to respond.

“I guess? I’ve always been a smiley person.” You shrug unhelpfully. “Have a good weekend, Levi.”

The man nods back at you and leaves. Outside the shop, he pauses to take a sip and stops, confused. He looks at you through the window, brow furrowed, and watches as you give him a small wave. He glances back down at the cup and walks away. You wonder if you made the right choice.

You receive a text in the early evening following your class.

_Unsaved number: That wasn’t oolong._

Somehow, Levi texts the same way he speaks. You chuckle and play coy.

_EZ: Sorry, who is this?_

_Levi: Shitty brat._

_EZ: Hmm, I’m not sure I know? I don’t have this number saved._

_Levi: The tea wasn’t abysmal. _

_EZ: Glad you liked it, Levi. _

You pass the weekend exchanging messages with Levi. He’s not much of a texter, which comes as absolutely no surprise, but the minimal conversation that you do manage to get out of him leaves you looking forward to seeing him on Monday.  
_______________________________

The girl in the coffee shop is an enigma. A blindingly beautiful and confusing enigma. The first thing that Levi notices is the long sweep of her dark lashes as she gazes down at the tablet, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth. The apologetic smile that she gives him makes him _almost_ sorry for his impatience. He’s a busy man after all. 

She proves to be an excellent barista, which he’s loathe to admit. He’d initially been annoyed that she’d seemingly replaced the previous barista, a meek boy who at least knew how Levi liked his tea. It had taken him ages to get it right. Levi’s relieved to see that that awful brat Lena is nowhere to be found. Good riddance. He makes sure to get her name the next day. 

Levi doesn’t understand the feelings that pop up every time he sees Ellie’s face, her soft, round cheeks always glowing, eyes bright. Her beaming smile always lights up the room. His cold heart flutters each time their fingers brush together and he hates the way he lets his touch linger.  
He feels like a lecher, the way he can’t take his eyes off her. Levi’s careful not to let her catch him staring. He finds himself surprised when Ellie reveals that she’s in a corporate finance class and he realises she must be a business student. 

As Chief Financial Officer for Survey Inc., the city’s largest consulting firm, Levi finds his job quite tedious and unfulfilling. He’d always hated working but had started at a young age to help his sick mother pay the bills. When she’d passed, Levi had put himself through college while working part-time. By his 25th birthday, he was working for Survey Inc. and making six figures. 

It’s not that he’s unaccustomed to interacting with women—Levi’s aware that they find him attractive, but there have only been so many that could tolerate his abrasive and cold attitude. Any relationships he’s had have been short and shallow. He’s not afraid to say what’s on his mind and he has little patience for most people, save for his closest friends. And even they aren’t immune to his insults and constant irritation. 

Ellie is the only person who has ever made his pulse quicken and he doesn’t get why. Something about her confidence, or maybe her astounding beauty. He hates how much he looks forward to seeing her. He’s even more enraged that he’s so eager to see her that he begins stopping by in the mornings as well, just so he can speak with her twice a day. He doesn’t even drink tea in the mornings. 

Levi can’t stop the tingling in his gut when he realises Ellie’s number is scribbled neatly on the side of his cup and it takes every ounce of self-control for him to wait until after work to message her. He’s not one for texting and he doesn’t know what to say, but he keeps the conversation going for as long as he can manage. He learns that she watches too much Netflix and eats a lot of pasta. Levi can’t relate but he still finds it endearing. Annoyingly so.

It’s late on Tuesday night when Levi finally leaves the office, his shoulders tense as he grips the steering wheel of his car. He considers this the best time to go to the gym in his building, usually empty by 9. There’s nothing worse than a room full of imbeciles who spend hours flexing in front of a mirror. 

As he passes the café, he spots Ellie as she’s locking the shop door. Levi pulls over to the curb without a second thought, putting the window down. Ellie turns and gasps, a delicate hand clutching at her breast as a wave of shock washes over her.

“Jesus, Levi!” She laughs nervously. “You’re such a creep.”

Levi glares at her. “I guess you don’t want a ride then.”

He begins to close the window and she leaps forward, hair bouncing around her shoulders and hand raised towards him.

“I’m kidding,” she laughs, jogging around to the passenger side and sliding into the car. He’s immediately enveloped by her scent, a mix of sweet flowers and coffee. His fingers itch to brush a curl behind her ear, but he keeps them firmly wrapped around the wheel. Ellie looks at him questioningly and he clicks his tongue.

“It’s not like I can read your shitty little mind.”

She grins at him, ear to ear. “34 Driscoll Street,” she tells him. “Near the big bridge.”

He raises an eyebrow at her as he pulls away.

“You walk an hour to and from work every day?” He asks incredulously, although the change in his tone is minor.

“Well, not when I have class before or after. Then it’s usually only about twenty minutes.” She looks at him when he doesn’t respond.

“Long day at work?”

He exhales a heavy sigh. “We fired one of our accountants, so I had to pick up the extra slack.” Ellie murmurs in understanding.

It’s an effort for Levi to keep his eyes on the road, the street lamps dancing attractively over Ellie’s face, the smooth curve of her jaw and the soft pucker of her full lips. He turns his concentration back to the road. 

Her apartment building looks old and shabby and there aren’t many street lights in the surrounding area. He waits until she’s inside the building to drive off, speeding home for a quick and aggressive workout, wrapped fists pummelling into a punching bag. Levi ends the night with a cold shower, pushing down images of Ellie in his car and the smooth, tanned skin of her legs as her skirt rode up tantalisingly. It’s like he’s reverted back to a goddamned teenage boy.  
_______________________________

“Afternoon, gorgeous.”

You turn around to see a tall, middle-aged man standing at the register, his eyes blatantly roaming over your body. You immediately regret wearing a dress as his watery eyes land on the exposed flesh of your thighs. You instinctively tug on the hem of the dress and his gaze flicks up to meet your own. You force a polite smile onto your face but it doesn’t quite reach your eyes.

“How can I help you, sir?” You ask, tone frosty. 

“Well, in quite a few ways, actually,” he replies suggestively. “But none of them in public.”

You swallow the bile that threatens to rise in your throat and try to maintain your friendly disposition, but your smile quivers and verges on a sneer.

“Well then, sir, why don’t you tell me if I can get you a beverage. Or some sort of food? Our muffins are very popular.” You mentally berate yourself before you’ve even finished your sentence. The man’s grin turns predatory.

“I’ll bet yours is.” 

Before you can reply, a strong hand grips the man’s shoulder and he whips around with a shout. You’re delighted to see Levi standing behind the man, staring him down with a contemptuous glare even as the older man towers over him. 

“I’ve never understood why old perverts like you are allowed out in public,” he says, his voice low. The man gapes at Levi in shock, so astounded by his rudeness that he doesn’t speak. 

“Do you think leering at her will make her want to fuck you? Men like you don’t deserve to see the daylight.”

The man turns back to you, outrage causing a red glow to spread over his face. He sputters as you smile cheerfully at him.

“Have a nice day, sir,” you call as he stumbles towards the door.

Levi steps up to the counter, a scowl marring his handsome face.

“My hero,” you coo, batting your lashes at him teasingly. Levi sucks his teeth and tries not to roll his eyes.

“Shut up, brat.”

You make him a white mango ginger tea free of charge, not that he needs anything free. You’re not blind—you can tell by the way his suits are perfectly tailored and the high quality of the material that his suits are handmade and exorbitantly expensive. Levi’s been tight-lipped about what he does for work, but you assume he’s some sort of businessman for a large company. Even his car is worth more than you could make in three lifetimes working at the café. But, you’re grateful for getting rid of that man and a free tea is the only way you can show it, at least right now. You lick you lips and keep your thoughts from straying. Not at work.  
_______________________________

The morning of the day you’re to meet with Erwin, you awaken to a slip of paper being shoved under your door. It’s a second warning giving you 42 hours to pay your arrears. You’ll need to go through with your meeting with Erwin. 

At exactly 3pm, you walk into _Alice_ wearing a red dress with a slit up the middle and a low v-neck. You figure using your assets can’t hurt. 

Erwin’s already seated at a table, a bottle of white wine and two glasses set out neatly beside him. The restaurant bustles around him, insanely busy on a Friday afternoon. You’d had to request work off so you hope your conversation goes well.

He spots you immediately, standing up from the table to pull you into his arms. The blonde man towers over you, embracing you so tightly that all you can smell is his expensive cologne. He pulls back to look you up and down appreciatively, his hands still holding your waist. 

“You’re looking beautiful as always, Ellie,” he purrs, guiding you to the seat next to his and pushing you gently into the chair. He pours a glass of wine for the both of you and sits back down. He sips his drink slowly, savouring the bitter fruitiness on his tongue as he watches you, eyes wandering lazily over your face.

“Thank you, Erwin,” you murmur, head bowing graciously. He leans back in his chair with a smirk. 

“It’s been so long since I last saw you. Two years, is it?” You look up at his face and can see he already knows he’s right, his lips quirked smugly. 

Before you can respond, three waiters approach the table, food in hand. They place a large steak in front of Erwin and a decently sized salad in front of you. You can feel his eyes on you, watching for a reaction. Of course he’d already ordered for you. It’s not a meeting with Erwin unless he asserts his dominance. Rather than frown, you throw him a saccharine smile and take a sip of wine.

“You know me so well, Erwin,” you simper. A satisfied grin spreads across his annoyingly handsome features. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me. I’m sure you’re wo—”

Erwin stops you, placing a large hand over yours where it’s perched on the table. His palm is warm and rough and it sends a shiver down your spine. You keep your hand where it is. 

“We can discuss that later,” he hums. “I want to hear about what you’ve been up to.”

You start talking.  
_______________________________

As soon as you’re done eating, Erwin takes your hand in his and leads you to the back of the restaurant, through the kitchen and into an exquisitely decorated hallway. You should have known that _Alice_ was his. 

He brings you into a large office with plush, red carpet and gold walls. It’s all you can do not to look around in awe. Erwin gestures for you to take a seat and leans against the desk. Another display of dominance.

“I’m pretty sure I can hazard a guess as to why you wanted to speak with me,” he tells you, hands clasped in his lap. You bite your lip hesitantly and try to form the appropriate words.

“I’ve run into some financial difficulties,” you start, unsure of how to continue. He nods his head understandingly. “Mike suggested I reach out to you.”

“I’ll give you whatever amount of money you need,” he states matter-of-factly. You can’t stop the look of shock and confusion that crosses your face. 

“Erwin, you don’t even know what I was going to ask.”

The man reaches his hand towards you and you take it tentatively, gasping as he yanks you out of your chair and into his body, your hips wedged snuggly between his strong thighs. 

“It doesn’t take a genius, Ellie,” he answers amusedly, rubbing his thumb in slow circles on your soft palm. Your cheeks are flushed and the rosy hue spreads down your neck and onto your chest. He admires the colour as it disappears into your cleavage. 

“You’ve already completed a year of graduate school and your parents didn’t leave you and Mike with _that_ much money.”

You attempt to avert your eyes from his cool gaze but he grips your jaw with his other hand and forcefully tips your chin, your eyes sliding back to his. 

“I just have one request,” he says, lowering his head to graze his lips against the tender skin on your neck. Erwin’s thick hair tickles against you and you tremble beneath him, frozen in his grasp. 

“Work off your debt to me and I’ll pay for anything you could ever need.” He pulls back and waits for your response, icy gaze burning into you. You hesitate.

“Let me help you,” he whispers, pulling you so close you can feel the soft caress of his breath across your cheek. 

“Okay.” You close your eyes and he kisses you, warm lips pressing into your own. You hold back your shudder.  
_______________________________

Two new emails ping into your inbox as you’re leaving your apartment for work the next morning. 

_Congratulations! You’ve paid your loan of €54,000 in full. If you believe this email was sent in error, please call…_

_Thank you for your payment of €850 to Keith Shadis. A reminder that rent is due by the 1st of each month and any tenants who…_

Gazing down at your phone in disbelief, your eyes drift to the fresh tattoo etched into the inside of your wrist. The small, simple outline of a rabbit mid-leap sits on the delicate skin, the mark Erwin requires all of his dealers to bare. 

News that Erwin is the kingpin of White Rabbit comes as no surprise, the largest and most notorious drug supplier in the city. What is shocking is that he wants you to become one of his dealers, alongside Mike, his girlfriend Nanaba and many others. You’re to deal cocaine, MDMA and ketamine. You’d tried coke a couple times during college but had shied away from the others. 

“Follow the white rabbit,” he’d murmured against your neck before sucking an angry, purple bruise into the supple flesh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Kudos, comments and bookmarks are always appreciated and taken to heart :-)
> 
> Also, just to make it clear, Eliana and Erwin didn't have sex, he just kissed her and was all around very creepy.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hello!! So I wanted to start by saying thank you so much for the kudos and comments and bookmarks so far :) As always, they are greatly appreciated.
> 
> Secondly, I want to preface this chapter by saying a couple of things: I am not even going to pretend that I know anything about corporate finance or international finance or any sort of business-y stuff. Also, I don't know anything about how drug dealing works so I'm really just making stuff up based off of what I've read and seen in movies/on TV?
> 
> My final thing I want to say is that I have a _really_ one track mind and I actually have started writing the next chapter for FWWM, but I have basically all of WR planned out which makes it easier to write especially because it’s not going to be as long, but obviously I'm going to continue FWWM.

By Monday morning, the bruise on your neck has begun to fade, but you’re running late for work and forget to dab concealer over it. An intrigued smirk tugs at Lena’s lips as her eyes land on the mark and you blush, beginning your morning routine. By opening, you’ve already forgotten about the encounter and you smile to yourself as you watch Levi approach the shop. He looks more tired than usual, the circles under his grey eyes darker and deeper. You make him a jasmine silver needle tea and have it ready for him by the time he reaches the register. 

“Thanks,” he says gruffly, fingers skimming over yours. Your breath hitches and your hand lingers a second longer. 

“See you later?” You tilt your head curiously, shiny locks spilling over your shoulders. 

“Trying to get rid of me?” If you knew better, you’d say Levi’s teasing you, his tone light despite its usual dullness. You’re about to respond when Lena calls you from the back and you turn your head to look behind you. Levi’s gaze drops to your neck and the fading mark just beneath your jaw and a chill washes over him. 

You turn back to him with a rueful grin unaware of his inner turmoil. “See you later, Levi.”  
_______________________________

Levi chides himself for being naïve enough to think Ellie was interested in him. She’s at least six years his junior and they have nothing in common. He’d registered her friendliness as flirting, but maybe it had been just that—she’s merely been doing her job. But then, she’d given him her number so he’s not quite sure what to think. 

He swallows the jealousy burning through his chest and thinks maybe it’s time for him to find a new café, or to start brewing his own tea. Levi had actually considered the latter when he’d realised there was a new barista, but Ellie had proved to be more than excellent at her job. It also helps that she’s one of the least insufferable people he’s met, she’s intelligent and obnoxiously charming. But, he thinks, just because she’d smiled at him a few times, doesn’t mean she has feelings for him.

Following lunch, Levi decides to skip tea and buries his head in paperwork. About an hour later, he receives a text and ignores the pit forming in his stomach.

_EZ: Busy at work?_

_Levi: Yeah, lots of paperwork._

_EZ: I had your tea ready ☹_

_Levi: Sorry._

_EZ: See you tomorrow?_

_Levi: Yeah, probably._

He feels bad for his short responses, but he can’t stop thinking about the mark on her neck, faded but an obvious love bite. Levi imagines his own lips grazing softly over Ellie’s neck, her pulse racing just beneath the skin. He groans in frustration, fingers pushing into his hair and elbows resting on the desk.  
_______________________________

Erwin calls you to his office after work and you’re apprehensive with yesterday’s events still playing through your mind, but you have no other choice. You’re in this for the long haul.

Mike and Nanaba are already there, sitting on a love seat sorting through some packages. You’re nervous as you step into the office, chewing at the inside of your cheek, but Nanaba looks up and shoots you a warm and reassuring smile. Mike grunts in acknowledgement, not sparing you a glance as he cuts open a small, rectangular bundle, dipping his little finger in and lifting a white substance to his tongue. Mike’s girlfriend has always been much kinder than your stubborn older brother and you’ve never understood how they ended up together. As they say, opposites attract. 

Erwin gestures for you to have a seat across from him at his desk and rifles through some papers before handing one to you, a stern look on his face. 

“I need you to drop some things off at these addresses.” He pulls out a small bag and opens it up, showing you the items inside. You recognise the patterned baggies, having seen them around the city at various parties. You nod in understanding.

“Smileys are ketamine, rabbits are cocaine and the green pills are MDMA,” he explains quickly, zipping the bag back up and placing it on the desk. You take it slowly, heart pounding against your ribcage. 

“Once you’re done, come back here,” Erwin tells you. You stand up to leave, dropping the bag into your purse and giving Nanaba a small wave.

You’re about to exit the office when Erwin calls after you. Turning around to see what he needs, you come face to face with his muscular chest and you tilt your head to look up at him. His eyes gleam, a smirk tugging at his lips.

He takes your left wrist in his and begins to roll up the sleeve of your dress, warm fingertips dragging slowly over your skin.

“You’ll want this on display when you’re on the job,” he murmurs, raising your wrist to his lips and pressing a gentle kiss to the tattoo. You leave the restaurant, hands shaking.

Of the 10 locations listed, most of the addresses belong to large office buildings in the financial district, not far from the café. Each address has an office number scribbled next to it. The occupants must be expecting you because every security officer in each building admits you without question upon seeing the ink etched into your skin. 

The clients on the list are all men, directors and other senior management within their companies. They’re all different ages, shapes and sizes, but there’s one thing they have in common: they’re all so disgustingly rich that they think they can get away with whatever they want. You recognise a couple of the men as city counsellors and one police chief. No wonder Erwin does such great business. Every person who could possibly turn him in is on his client list. He must have an incredible amount of blackmail. 

Out of all the men, each creepy in their own way, Riley O’Hare, the CEO of Capital Co., unsettles you the most. He purchases 7 grams of coke at €120 per gram and 10 ecstasy bombs for €300. You’ve no idea how Erwin has managed to become the most notorious drug lord in your big city, what with his expensive prices, but his only rival seems to be Dahlia. It’s most likely beneficial that Erwin is able to sell his product to a wide variety of clients, both rich and poor, while Dahlia’s drug supply is a lower price but for a lower quality. Erwin tends to vary his prices based on who he’s selling to. 

Riley holds the money out to you but as you take it in your hand, he refuses to let go, yanking you towards him. He presses his body against yours, a thick hand wrapped tightly around your bicep. He pushes you back against his desk, the hard edge digging into your lower back and you wince in pain. He seems to like that. You can see his pupils dilate and his nostrils flare.

“I didn’t realize Erwin employed such pretty girls,” he purrs, nosing at your temple, his stubble rough against your skin.

“How about we have some fun, baby?” He tilts your chin up to meet his gaze, shaking the small baggie of green pills next to your face.

Wrenching yourself and the cash out of Riley’s grip, you shoot him a tight-lipped smile and hurriedly fix your dress, pulling it down over your thighs.

“Maybe next time, Mr. O’Hare,” you reply tersely. He gives you a predatory once over, a wide, shark-like grin spreading across his cheeks. 

“Next time, beautiful.”

It takes every ounce of self-control not to sprint out of his office. If you’re going to continue doing this, you need to grow a thicker skin or _something_. 

It’s almost 11pm when you finally get back to _Alice_. Mike and Nanaba are gone and there are two young boys in their place, probably only about 16. They’re silent as you enter the office, running stacks of bills through an automatic money counter. The small blonde looks up briefly and throws you a small smile, his big, blue eyes soft and kind. The brunette boy doesn’t acknowledge you.

As you approach Erwin’s desk, he gestures for you to come around to him. You hand him the money, at least €8,000, and the bag with the minimal remainder of your supply. He counts out €600, hands it back to you and places the rest in the corner of his desk for one of the boys to count. You stare down at the money, eyes wide and confused. Erwin notices and smiles reassuringly. 

“That’s for you to keep,” he informs you encouragingly. You shove it into your purse.

Before you can turn to leave, Erwin grasps your wrist in his large hand and tugs you into his lap, your thighs straddling one of his. Your face flushes, heart racing as he clears his throat and leans his chest into your back to get the boys’ attention.

“Elle,” he murmurs against your ear, hand sweeping your hair around to the other side. “This is Eren and Armin. You’ll be seeing them every once in a while, usually if I’m busy and you can’t pick up from me.”

The two boys nod in understanding, unmoved by the way Erwin is running his hands over your body and smelling your neck. 

“You boys treat Eliana well,” Erwin states firmly. “I’ve known this girl since she was a baby.”

As he nudges you back to standing, his knuckles press into the bruise that’s blooming quickly across your back. Before you can stop yourself, you’ve winced in pain. You must’ve hit Riley’s desk a lot harder than you thought. Erwin frowns questioningly at your reaction.

“It’s nothing,” you mutter as you attempt to pull away from him. His grip on your wrist tightens and you sigh. 

“Just had a bit of an accident when one of your clients got a little rough.” Your other hand falls limply at your side.

Erwin’s brow darkens, his mouth pulling down into a frown. “Show me.”

You already know that he isn’t going to drop it, so you pull up the hem of your dress to reveal the dark bruise running horizontally across your skin. He’s seen you in a bikini at least a dozen times anyways. You glance over your shoulder to see his reaction and the expression on his face sends a shiver down your spine. The blind rage swimming in his eyes coupled with the completely neutral look on his face terrifies you. You feel his warm fingers as they brush lightly over the mark before he pulls your dress back down, knuckles skimming the backs of your thighs. 

“Eren, walk her home,” Erwin orders, his voice harsh as he turns back to the papers on his desk.

Eren grabs his things wordlessly and leaves the room with you in tow. He’s silent as you begin your journey, falling back to walk a couple strides behind you. You consider trying to talk to him, to ask him how he knows Erwin, but the boy doesn’t seem like he’s in the mood for conversation. In fact, he doesn’t look very happy to be escorting you home. It’s not like you’d asked for his company—you’re 22, you can take care of yourself, you walk home alone at night all the time. 

You’re about 10 minutes into your walk when a familiar black car pulls up alongside you, the windows opaque and tinted black so you can’t see inside. Eren casts the car a sidelong glance, eyes narrowed suspiciously while a smile grows on your face as the window is lowered. The boy’s eyes widen as Levi’s face comes into view, but the older man shows no signs of recognition. 

“Need a ride?” Levi gives you an impatient look and you hurry over to the passenger side. Eren hesitates, a scowl in place.

“I’m supposed to get you home,” he says slowly, unsure. 

You open the car door. “It’s fine, you can go home early now!” The boy’s face brightens significantly at that and you get into the car.

Levi pulls away, a frown on his face. “That your boyfriend?”

You snort, unable to stop noise that you emit. Glancing at Levi, you see he’s completely serious, his posture tense, and you school your features. “Not a chance. Just a…friend.”

His body visibly relaxes, whether he wanted you to notice or not. The thought that Levi may have been jealous of Eren causes warmth to spread through your stomach. You don’t know Levi well enough to tell him about your financial struggles and your new dealing gig. You’re not even sure what he’d think. The man seems pretty straightedge, serious about work and life in general, so you keep the information to yourself.

“You’re out late,” he notes dully, not bothering to look over at you.

“Late night at the library, I guess,” you hum. Levi looks over at you and notices the dark circles under your eyes, the way your shoulders are drooping.

“How are your classes going?” He asks. You rub your hands over your face with a desperate groan and smile pathetically at him.

“At the rate I’m going, I might as well drop out now.” 

He eyes you with a frown. “That hard?” 

You turn your body fully to face him, a teasing grin in place. Reaching over, you tap him lightly on the temple. “We can’t all be smart, surly businessmen like yourself.”

He clicks his tongue in response as you giggle. It’s the first time you’ve touched him outside of handing him his tea and the skin contact, albeit brief, makes your heart flutter. An idea begins to form and Levi notices the sudden glint in your eyes.

He glares at you warily. “What?”

“Nothing.” You’re grinning ear to ear.

“What shitty little thoughts are you thinking?”

You laugh and clasp your hands together excitedly. “Well, a sophisticated and well-educated businessman such as yourself could quite easily help a simple-minded grad student like me.”

Levi doesn’t respond so you let him mull it over for the remainder of the drive. As he pulls up to the curb by your building, you place a gentle hand on his bicep. 

“Please, Levi?” You bat your lashes at him pleadingly. He roles his eyes at you and sucks his teeth. 

“Great! So, I’ll meet you in your office tomorrow after work? I get off at 3.”

You get out of the car and run upstairs before he can deny you. He texts you his work address twenty minutes later, quite begrudgingly it seems. You can’t help the butterflies in your stomach as you fall into bed. You dream about tea and undercuts and piercing grey eyes.  
_______________________________

Nanaba takes you out for lunch the following day during your break to fill you in on business with White Rabbit. She’s understandably worried about how you’ll find dealing, but she assures you that the money is good and Erwin is fair.

“As long as he’s happy, you’ll be happy,” she warns with a smile. 

“I’d recommend keeping that covered while you’re at your café job.” She nods towards your wrist. “Just to keep people from bothering you at work. Otherwise, you should let it show. People will find you and when Erwin makes money, you make money.”

She reaches into her purse and hands you a nondescript bag. You shove it into your bag quickly and look at her questioningly.

“There’s coke, ecstasy and ketamine, all the same baggies as yesterday. The blue bags are adderall, yellow is LSD and purple is oxycontin.” You make mental notes and hope desperately that you can remember all of this. “Anyone who seeks you out or recognises the tattoo knows how much each costs. Students get some sort of discount.”

You throw her a curious glance and Nanaba hands you a small flip phone. 

“People will probably start texting you on that,” she informs you.

You hesitate, not sure you want the answer to your next question. “How does Erwin keep his clientele in line? No one questions him…”

Nanaba laughs and places a soft hand on your forearm. “You’re so cute. He makes his expectations clear and when necessary, he sends messages.”

You bite your lip. “Violent messages?”

It makes sense and it’s not that you’re opposed to it, it’s certainly a precarious business, but it certainly makes it clear that you never want to fall on Erwin’s bad side. The blonde woman simply smiles in response.

Before you head back to work, you witness Nanaba do a few deals of her own. For the most part, it seems like she knows each of the individuals that approach her and it’s such a smooth transaction, you’d never have known from the outside that a drug deal was even taking place. It helps that Nanaba is so unsuspecting.

You return to work looking forward to your tutoring session with Levi, White Rabbit shoved to the back of your mind. 

At a quarter past 3, you arrive at the foot of Levi’s building, the skyscraper towering above you. Survey Inc. is the sort of company you see yourself working for once you’ve finished your graduate programme, the consulting firm internationally known and worth billions. Not that it’s the kind of organisation you _want_ to work for, but you’d like to pay off your debt to Erwin as soon as possible. You don’t want to be dealing for him for the rest of your life. 

You let the receptionist know that you have a meeting with Levi and she checks the system and buzzes you through. Walking through the large lobby with its high, glass ceiling, you feel like a child again, visiting your mother at work. You dismiss those thoughts as you wait for the elevator, peering curiously at the directory.

_Levi Ackerman, CFO_

Your eyes widen at the title and you briefly wonder what the _hell_ you’re doing here. The poor man must be drowning in work and you’d forced him to help you with your trivial schoolwork. He's the Chief Financial Officer of Survey Inc.?

You find his receptionist on the 21st floor, a pretty, small woman with short, strawberry blonde hair. An unexpected wave of jealousy washes over you and you swallow it quickly as you approach her desk. Her nameplate says _Petra Ral_.

“I’m here to see Levi,” you tell her. She looks you up and down, a strange expression on her face, before picking up her phone and whispering into the receiver. 

She stands suddenly, leading you down a long hallway to a dark, oak door. She knocks twice and opens the door, waving you through.

“Please let me know if you need anything else, Mr. Ackerman,” she says demurely with a bow of her head. He grunts in her direction, not bothering to turn away from his desk. She closes the door behind you.

Without putting down your bag, you creep up behind Levi, leaning over to peak over his shoulder, hair tickling the side of his neck. 

“What’re you looking at, Mr. Ackerman?” You question innocently.

He inhales slowly and deeply, closing the window and turning in his chair to face you. You beam down at him.

He clicks his tongue. “Nosy brat.”

You flounce around to the other side of his desk, taking a seat and primly crossing your legs. You’d made sure to wear a body-hugging dress that accentuates your curves and reaches mid-thigh. You’re aware of how the skirt rides up when you’re sitting, showing off the smooth flesh of your thigh. Levi glances down for a brief second, but it’s enough of a look to let you know he’s noticed. You wink at him as he lifts his gaze back to yours.

“Let’s get on with this,” he huffs impatiently. He doesn’t look at your legs again. 

Levi proves to be surprisingly good mentor and not only explains things in simple terms that you understand, but also manages to get all of his own work done as well. While he gets frustrated with you whenever you’re confused, it seems to be that his approach to teaching is more tough love than nurturing. You suppose it helps. You haven’t understood this much corporate finance material ever.

“So, trade-off theory assumes that capital markets are perfect and there are no tax or agency costs and there are no transaction costs?” Levi nods without looking away from his monitor. “And demonstrates that financial structure is neutral with regard to a company’s value?”1

He nods again, looking at you over his shoulder.

“You’re never going to need half this information,” he teases with a bland expression. You roll your eyes and sigh exasperatedly.

“Yeah, but I’ll need it to graduate.” 

You’re about to go back to reading when you get a new message on the burner phone Nanaba had given you.

_Unknown number: Can I get 3 bags of coke?_

Glancing up to make sure Levi’s not looking, you respond.

_EZ: Address?_

_Unknown number: Daniel’s Hall, 890 Trenton St. #230_

It’s an address for one of the undergrad apartment-style buildings at your college. You begin gathering your stuff and get up to leave. Levi looks at you inquisitively.

“I’m really sorry, I need to leave early,” you apologise. “But can I come again tomorrow at 3?” He nods and you hurry out of the office and to the elevators. Petra’s gaze follows you down the hallway.

_EZ: Be there in 20._  
_______________________________

You deliver to three 20-year olds who Erwin gives a student discount to. You find the concept amusing but don’t bother questioning it. As everyone seems to think, Erwin is fair. 

“You don’t look like a dealer,” one of the boys comments curiously.

“I mean, what does a dealer usually look like?” His friends snicker as you leave. 

The next day, you understand your corporate finance class slightly better, but international finance is a whole different mess. That’ll be your next topic of discussion with Levi. 

You make your way to his office after class and the receptionist in the lobby remembers you, buzzing you through the gates without asking. _They could probably use better security_, you think. Petra gives you another odd look as you step off the elevator, picking up the phone before you can reach her desk. After a moment she hangs up and gestures for you to go ahead. You can feel her eyes on your back as you enter the hallway.

Levi walks you through international finance as you request and you spend an hour just staring at him in a daze. The man is so frustratingly handsome and he doesn’t even try. He’s literally the least expressive person you’ve ever met and he almost always looks bored and uninterested, yet he tolerates your flirting and answers all your questions as if the answers are blatantly obvious. With every second that you spend with him, your feelings grow and it’s infuriating. 

He’s less busy today, not on his computer as much as before. Every once in a while, your foot bumps against his beneath his desk and neither of you make an effort to move. At one point, he takes your pen in his hand to write something down in your notes and you let your hand fall limp next to his, fingers brushing delicately against the skin of his wrist. He says nothing as you wet your lips.

A terrible heat has consumed you, spreading through each of your limbs to your fingers and toes, and has settled in your groin. It’s an absolutely horrible and inconvenient time to be so desperately turned on, especially when you’re not quite sure Levi’s feeling the same as he explains something to you about international investing. You can’t take your eyes off his, even as he bows his neck to add something else. Squeezing your thighs together, you try to relieve some of the tension but it’s useless. You’ve been thinking about kissing him for what seems like forever now, smoothing your hands against all his had angles. 

You pluck the pen from his fingers and bump your foot against his again.

“You know what would be a lot more fun than studying?” He frowns at you confusedly as you get up and saunter over to his side of the desk.

Reaching your hand out slowly, you run it through his thick, black hair and feel his undercut as it tickles your fingertips. He hasn’t moved, but you also can’t tell what he’s thinking. 

As you lean towards him, eyes trained on his face for a reaction, his icy eyes flash dangerously, a quick, strong hand coming up to wrap around your forearm.

“What’re you doing?” His undertone is sharp.

“Don’t you want to?” Your pulse races beneath his fingers. You can smell his cologne, strong and musky. Levi’s gaze wavers and you can see the conflict playing in his eyes. His resolve is strong but you can see it breaking.

“If it’s because of my age, I don’t see that as an issue,” you breathe, shifting closer so that the outside of your thigh presses against his. “It kind of makes it hotter.” 

You can feel the heat of his skin through his trousers. His grip tightens minutely as you chip away at him.

“Think of how much _fun_ we could have,” you murmur, voice soft as velvet. He closes his eyes. 

When he opens them, the rabbit on your wrist catches his eye, his gaze sharp as his expression flickers between confusion and anger. He yanks your arm down to take a better look, causing you to stumble forward and into him, your other hand flinging out to hold your weight up against his desk.

“What the fuck, Levi?” You ask indignantly, a deep scowl on your face. His nails dig into your skin and you wrench your wrist from his grip. “That hurt.”  
He doesn’t apologise, standing up from his chair and towering over you. You take a step back as his steely eyes harden.

“Where’d you get the tattoo?” His tone is accusatory and you don’t understand why he’d be so upset about it. You still doubt he knows what it is—it’s not as if he has one on his own wrist.

“I just liked the design, is that a problem?” You gape at him in disbelief. His shoulders are tense, his fists clenched and nostrils flaring. He goes to grab your hand again but you back away further.

“Where did you get the tattoo?”

You hastily pack up your things, not bothering to look him in the eye. “It’s not like it’s any of your business.” You stalk out of the office and leave the building in a rush. 

Levi sinks back down into his chair, his chest heaving, the small rabbit etched into his eyelids. He pulls out his phone and dials a number.

“We need to talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you again for reading and for kudos, comments and bookmarks <3 I've included the reference for the paper I used to write about trade-off theory even though I couldn't understand a word of the article hahaha.
> 
> 1Adair, P. and Adaskou, M. (2015) ‘Trade-off theory vs. pecking order theory and the determinants of corporate leverage: Evidence from a panel data analysis upon French SMEs (2002-2010)’, _Cogent Economics & Finance_, 3: pp. 1-12.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hi pals! Thanks as always for kudos, comments and bookmarks!! They mean the world to me, especially to know whether or not you're all enjoying the story or not! This chapter ended up being longer than I thought so I cut it short. I'm travelling back to Dublin tonight and will be moving into a new house tomorrow so not sure when I'll get around to the next chapter but it will definitely be soon since I'm still unemployed haha. 
> 
> Anyways, enjoy and thanks for reading! <3

_ES: Please stop by my office._

You’re so emotionally distraught over whatever the fuck just happened with Levi that you consider ignoring Erwin’s text, but you know that won’t bode well for you, so you make your way to the restaurant. 

_Alice_ is always so busy during its open hours, and what with its exquisite reputation and exorbitant prices, it’s a wonder Erwin even needs to run White Rabbit. You briefly wonder if it’s more of a power thing for him. He’d always been the type of man to crave new and exciting things—things that came with a lot of risk but heavy reward.

Erwin is alone in his office when you arrive and he asks you to shut the door behind you. You take a seat across from him, his desk clear of clutter for once. You can’t think of any reason he’d be calling you in again so soon, aside from that fact he’s made it clear he likes to look at you. There’s a couple bottles of champagne and two glass flutes sitting on a table behind him and you eye it suspiciously.

The blonde man leans forward in his seat, hands clasped together and resting on the hard wood. The knuckles of his right hand are bruised in a telling way, the split skin scabbing over. His voice is warm as it usually it, but his striking blue eyes are cold as ever. Unease settles over you.

“I wanted to thank you for agreeing to work for me,” he begins, eyeing you expectantly until you reach a timid hand across the desk and place it in his comparatively larger one. He rubs circles into your palm in an almost reassuring way.

“I want you to know that I will always be here to take care of you.” You nod slowly in response, your brain trying to figure out where he’s going with this. 

“You don’t need to worry about O’Hare anymore,” he finishes in a low voice. A shudder washes through you as you take in his words. He must see the horrified expression on your face and realise you’ve misunderstood as he begins to chuckle.

“I only told him to keep his hands to himself,” Erwin smiles placatingly. “I don’t take kindly to people damaging my things.”

A shiver crawls up your spine and goose bumps cover your arms. Erwin raises your fingers to his lips and places a soft kiss across your knuckles. Turning around, he grabs the champagne and glasses and places them on the desk.

“Will we celebrate?” He doesn’t give you the opportunity to respond, tearing off the foil and popping the cork. After today, you guess a drink or two couldn’t hurt, even though Erwin’s probably the last person you feel comfortable drinking around.

Handing you a glass, Erwin clinks his against yours and you both drink silently. You finish the first glass in one swig and Erwin raises an impressed eyebrow, refilling it diligently.

He asks you about college and you don’t have much to tell him, although when he asks you specifically about your classes, it comes to your attention that Erwin is quite the knowledgeable businessmen. You suppose you shouldn’t be surprised due to his successful restaurant and the drugs on the side. He gives you some vague advice about corporate finance which you file away for later. 

A few glasses in and you’re starting to feel slightly more relaxed. In spite of how uneasy he often makes you feel, Erwin proves to be a fantastic conversationalist. A lover of fine dining, art and classic novels, the man is full of surprises. He even reveals that he enjoys watching Netflix every once in a while. 

The alcohol is getting to your head, warmth pooling in your belly and a flush spreading across your cheeks. Your lips and fingertips are numb, a dull buzz just below the surface. For a moment, you forget about your incident with Levi, how he’d grabbed your arm so tightly that it had scared you. How you’d never seen such deep-seated rage in his eyes. The champagne makes your brain fuzzy, less sharp. You grin easily at Erwin who’s watching you from across the table, a curious expression on his face. 

“What?” You ask, sipping slowly on your fourth glass, blinking at him with your long lashes.

“I have a proposition for you,” he tells you, voice riddled with amusement.

You place your glass down on the table. “Go on?”

“I’ll give you €5,000 right now if you dance for me.”

You choke on your own saliva, your trachea burning as it gets trapped in your windpipe. Tears spring to your eyes and you cough hard to get it out.

“I’m sorry, you want me to dance for you?” You ask incredulously, wiping at your eyes.

Erwin merely smiles back. “Give me a lap dance and the €5,000 is all yours.”

It’s not that you want to give the man a show, but you’d be hard pressed to turn down such a significant amount of money for an easy enough request. You’ve always considered yourself a good dancer, so it’s not as if you’re concerned about your skills. _There’d really be no harm in it_, you think. A no strings attached lap dance for €5,000 sounds like an incredible deal. It’s unlikely you’ll ever be offered that amount from Erwin again.

“Alright,” you tell him, standing slowly from your chair. You watch in awe, eyes wide, as he removes a thick stack of cash from a drawer and places it on the desk in front of him. You knock back the remainder of your drink while he watches with a delighted grin on his face.

You walk around to his side of the desk and pause momentarily, teeth biting nervously into your lower lip.

“Can we at least put on some music?”

He concedes with a nod, pulling out his phone and handing it to you. You take a look at the app open on the screen.

“Ah, you’re a Spotify man,” you note teasingly. “I’d have taken you for an Apple Music type.”

He shrugs.

As you’re trying to decide on a song, you notice Erwin pull something else out of his desk and you turn to him with a questioning look. Between his fingers he holds a small baggy with rabbits printed on it. Coke. You give him a long look before reaching out for the bag. Drawing it away from you, he gives you a meaningful look, his blue eyes boring into yours. He takes a key out of his pocket and dips it into the bag, lifting it out carefully with half a pinkie nail’s worth of cocaine on the end. He holds the key out to you, his hand steady as you lean forward and breathe in sharply through your nose. 

The burning sensation in the back of your throat is immediate, the bitter taste settling in the back of your throat. Your nostril quickly goes numb before he dips the key back into the bag and holds it out to you again. You inhale a second time, the fine powder coating your throat. You wipe at your nose to dust off any remaining flake as Erwin takes a few bumps of his own. You can already feel your heart racing.

Getting back to the task at hand, you glance down at the pile of cash before choosing a song. _Pony_ by Ginuwine seems like the obvious choose for a teasing dance. 

As the synth starts to play, you swing your hips back and forth in time with the beat, running your hands slowly over your thighs, up to your hips, along your waist and the sides of your breasts. Brushing your fingers through your thick hair to gather it at the base of your neck, you wait for the introduction of the music before turning around and letting it fall around your shoulders, swinging in tandem with the sway of your hips. 

Looking over your shoulder at Erwin, long lashes fluttering against the apples of your cheeks, you stroke your fingers teasingly down your hips to shimmy the hem of your dress up enough to show him a peak of your lacy underwear and the curve of your ass. A lazy smile graces his obnoxiously handsome features. 

Seconds before the vocals chime in, you face him again and quickly toe-off your sandals. As Ginuwine begins to croon, you place your hands on Erwin’s broad shoulders and climb gracefully onto the chair, knees held snuggly between his muscular thighs and the cushy arms of the chair. 

One hand combing through his soft, blonde hair and the other holding your weight against his chest, you sway your hips over him to the rhythm of the music.

_If you're horny, let's do it, ride it, my pony_  
_My saddle's waiting, come and jump on it_  
_If you're horny, let's do it, ride it, my pony_  
_My saddle's waiting, come and jump on it_

Erwin plants a possessive hand on your hip, the heat of his palm seeping through the thin cloth of your dress. You can see his pupils have dilated, so much so that you can barely see the blue rim surrounding the black. You can feel his heart hammering underneath your hand, but you know it’s due to the blow and not your movements. 

As you undulate with the music, your pelvis grinding against his toned abdomen, Erwin’s hand leaves your hip and he reaches up to the straps of you dress, pushing them down easily to fall into the creases of your bent elbows, the loose fabric pooling around your ribs to expose your chest, clad in a thin, lace bra that matches your panties. Erwin smirks up at you as you give him an exasperated look, continuing your dance nonetheless. 

The alcohol is still heavy in your system and, mixed with the cocaine, your movements are languid yet effortless, a simultaneous feeling of weight and weightlessness settling in your limbs. The music has dulled to your ears even as you continue to move with it, still in time with the beat. You close your eyes and enjoy the tune, the cadence of the synth vibrating through you. 

A sharp knock on the door jars you back to your senses and you flinch, suddenly hyper aware of Erwin’s hands sliding over the smooth skin of your waist, palms burning into you. Before you have time to understand what’s happening, Erwin has barked for the visitor to enter, moving his hands to clasp your wrists so tightly you can’t move off of him.

It’s almost as if it happens in slow motion. There’s so much going on that your brain doesn’t know what to do first. As the door begins to open, you struggle against his hold to fix your dress but his grip is like steel and your efforts are futile. 

A familiar, apathetic voice drifts through the steadily opening gap. One you know so well it feels like a spark has just crackled in your brain stem and shot down your spine. Your entire body freezes, the muscles stiff.

“What kind of shitty music are you liste—“

Levi’s impassive expression doesn’t drop, but you can see the change in his eyes, the rage that fills them as they flash dangerously. Erwin throws him a shit-eating grin as he turns his head to face him, the shorter man stuck in the doorway, hand still clenched around the doorknob. 

You’re like a deer caught in headlights as Levi stares at you, frozen with your eyes wide and breathing quick. Until, that is, you remember that your chest is on display and you fight desperately against Erwin’s grasp. He lets go suddenly and you let out a startled cry as you tumble backwards off the chair, landing hard on your sits bones, the impact reverberating through you. 

Scowling at him from the ground, you can see the sadistic amusement dancing in his eyes. You fix your dress quickly and snatch your phone from the desk, pausing the music. From the ground, you can no longer see Levi.

There’s another moment of silence before you hear Levi clear his throat.

“Sorry to interrupt you.” His voice doesn’t reveal what he’s thinking, low and expressionless as usual. You hear his shoes shuffle against the carpet. 

“Wait, Levi,” Erwin calls. You hear Levi’s footsteps pause.

The blonde pulls you inelegantly from the floor, his fingers digging painfully into the skin of your wrist, and yanks you into his lap to face Levi. The warmth in Erwin’s touch is gone and you’re reminded of how much he intimidates you, so easily able to switch his kindness on and off. Yet, this is the first time he’s been so rough with you. Your blush is uncontrollable as it heats your cheeks and you avert your gaze, feeling Levi’s icy eyes on every inch of your skin.

“Would you like a turn?” Goosebumps prickle over your flesh.

There’s a pause before Levi answers. 

“No.”

Erwin runs a hand across your forehead and over the top of your head, sweeping away any stray hair that covers your face. He bunches it in his large hand, gripping it suddenly at the base of your neck, so hard that you wince as your neck strains back.

“But look at how pretty she is,” he states simply.

Levi clicks his tongue. “She’s not my type.”

You’re surprised at how much that stings, cold washing over your entire body. You will the tears not to form as your eyes begins to prickle. You won’t cry in front of either of them. Erwin hums behind you. 

“Wait outside, Elle,” he orders, nudging you off of him. You hurriedly slip on your sandals and walk out the door, face down to avoid Levi’s glare as you close the it behind you.  
_______________________________

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Levi’s voice is cold and he doesn’t bother sitting. He crosses his arms over his chest in an effort to keep his hands from punching Erwin’s stupid, arrogant face in.

“I don’t think I know what you’re referring to,” Erwin huffs in mock innocence, his voice haughty.

Levi frowns at him, giving the blonde man a pointed look. “What the fuck are you doing with _her_?” 

“I thought she wasn’t your type,” Erwin replies snidely, watching the raven-haired man with intrigue, blue eyes sparkling.

Levi scoffs, his tongue clicking. “She’s not.” 

He throws Erwin another annoyed look from under his dark brow. The stupid blonde is probably one of the only people in the world that Levi is unable to intimidate.

“Well, you’ve never cared this much about any of the other girls I occupy my time with,” says Erwin, looking disinterestedly at his nails.

“I don’t care.” Levi’s jaw clicks as he grinds his teeth in frustration.

Erwin leans forward in his chair, elbow coming to rest on the surface of the desk, chin held in his palm. “Do you know her or something?” He asks curiously.

“Could you just leave her alone, you stupid fucker?” Levi sighs, letting a harsh breath out through his nose.

“So, you do care.” A smug smirk pulls at Erwin’s lips.

“I don’t.”

Erwin claps his hands together, as if to end the conversation. “Then to answer your question, no. Is that all you wanted to discuss?”  
_______________________________

Only a few minutes pass before the door is ripped open and Levi stalks out, not even bothering to look at you. You return to the office like a scolded puppy, timid and unsure of what will happen next. The alcohol and the cocaine are wearing off and you’re left feeling leaden, physically and mentally exhausted.

Erwin gets up from his chair and walks over to where you stand in the middle of the room. Tilting your chin with a gentle hand, he forces you to look at him, his blue eyes soft and warm once more. He can see the accusation reflected in your own.

“I’m sorry about that, Elle,” he tells you, voice tender. He uses his other hand to lift your wrist to his lips, placing an affectionate kiss on the skin where a ring-like bruise is already quickly forming. “Does it hurt?”

You cast your eyes down. “No.”

“Come back to my place,” he prods gently. You freeze at the suggestion, ready to reject him, but his grip on your chin tightens minutely. “I promise I won’t do anything.”

You frown at him warily.

“It’s already so late and my building is much closer than yours,” Erwin presses, tone soothing. Your eyelids are drooping and you can feel your entire body wilting. The man’s piercing gaze is unwavering so you nod reluctantly. He leads you to the door.  
_______________________________

You wake up to the shrill alarm on your phone alerting you that you need to wake up for work. You’re still feeling drained, but there’s no hangover muddling your head. _Quite fortunate_, you think. 

You can hear the soft spray of water coming from what you assume is the ensuite, and you stand up abruptly, gathering your things to slip out of the apartment before Erwin finishes showering. 

As the man had promised, nothing had happened between the two of you. You’d been so tired you’d fallen asleep during the short drive to Erwin’s building and he’d carried you inside like a child. His apartment is huge, luxurious and minimalist. There are literally no personal touches, nothing to make it homey, which somehow you don’t find surprising. 

The king-sized bed was the biggest you’d ever seen, and definitely the comfiest mattress you’d ever felt as he’d dropped you delicately down onto the bed before heading into the bathroom. You’d lost consciousness almost immediately, although you’d been slightly jostled awake when Erwin had covered you with the blankets, smoothing his hand over your hair until you’d fallen back asleep.

You’re quiet as a mouse as you leave the unit and make your way down the extravagant hallway, pushing the elevator call button repeatedly as if it will somehow come quicker.

As it gives a resounding ding signalling its arrival, the doors slide open to reveal none other than Levi in all his scowling glory. The look he fixes you with is so contemptuous that you actually consider waiting for the next one. Except you really can’t afford to be late for work—

Well actually, you can because of the €5,000 that Erwin’s given you, but then…you realise belatedly that you’d left the money in his office and the feeling of defeat that surges through you is soul crushing. 

You enter the elevator and stand as far away from the brooding man as possible, the resentment radiating off of him in waves so thick you can feel them suffocating you. Had you known he lived in the building as well, you’d never have gone back to Erwin’s in the first place. You’d literally rather be lying dead in a ditch than in this elevator with Levi. It doesn’t help that you’re wearing the same exact clothes. _Talk about walk of shame_, you think, _except horrendously worse_.

Levi’s so angry, you’re sure you’ll never see him again. You briefly wonder how he and Erwin know each other, but right now is _obviously_ not the time to ask.

Two weeks fly by as you’re drowned in college work with the approach of your midterms. You consider leaving the café as there really doesn’t seem to be a point to you working there anymore, what with the disappearance of Levi and the fact that you’re making enough extra cash from White Rabbit that you don’t need the first job. But, you like the reprieve the coffee shop gives you from your thoughts and your schoolwork, and using that income as spending money while you save Erwin’s seems to be a good strategy so far.

You’ve written multiple text drafts to Levi, all concerning what happened in Erwin’s office, but you’re not ignorant. Levi’s avoidance of the café is sign enough that he never wants to see you again. You won’t reach out to him when it’s clear he doesn’t want to hear from you—you don’t want to come off as desperate. But you also can’t help the niggling feeling in the back of your mind, the tiny, frustrated voice that keeps telling you that you don’t owe Levi anything. Adamant that even if you were sleeping with Erwin, Levi has no right to be angry with you about it.

So, rather than mope around for two weeks about a guy you never had a relationship with in the first place, you put your head down and focus on your studies. In your downtime, you’ve done a lot more deals for Erwin and while you’re still scared shitless of getting caught by the authorities, you’ve certainly become much more confident.

You’d even seen Riley O’Hare a couple days after speaking with Erwin about him. Initially, you’d been reluctant to meet with the man, but upon entering his office, he’d been the perfect gentleman. He wouldn’t even look you in the eye. A split in his lip and across the bridge of his nose, the cuts surrounded by heavy bruising, gave you a pretty clear idea of how Erwin had chosen to send his message. 

You take your exams on Friday, exactly two and a half weeks after the incident in Erwin’s office. While he’s remained touchy and flirty and overall possessive, you haven’t had much time to spend with him alone, something you’re quite grateful for. The midterms seem to go well enough, but you’re determined not to think about them once you’re done. Planning your evening around the fact that you’d taken work off to sit for your tests, you see Thai yellow curry takeout and a Netflix binge in your future. Just the thought of finally getting to lounge around on a Friday night makes your heart beat faster and your toes curl. _God, what a sad, sad life_, you think humorously. 

You’re just scrolling through the online ordering website of your local Thai restaurant when you get a text from Erwin.

_ES: Wonderland tonight, doors open at 10. Dress nicely, I want you on the floor._

A Friday off and alone truly had seemed too good to be true. You sigh and have a quick Cup Noodles before deciding what to wear. You go for a low cut, nude, sleeveless bodycon dress that reaches mid-thigh and has a cut out in the midsection that reveals the undersides of your breasts paired with matching nude sandal high heels. You curl your hair loosely and throw on some makeup before heading out, a classy, black and gold clutch held snuggly under your arm. 

You arrive at your brother’s club, _Wonderland_, around a quarter past 10 and skip the already long queue, the bouncers recognising you immediately. Erwin, Mike and Nanaba are sat up in the VIP section, looking out disinterestedly over the pulsing crowd. Erwin spots you quickly and waves you up. 

As you approach them, Erwin wraps an arm around your waist, running his hand smoothly over the curve of your hip as he pulls you into you. Nanaba eyes him but doesn’t say anything. 

“Thanks for coming, gorgeous,” Erwin tells you, his lips brushing against your ear. “Get yourself a drink and go work your magic down there.”

You can smell the vodka on his breath, although you can tell he’s still relatively sober, his hawk-like gaze constantly surveying the club.

Erwin gives you a light pat on the ass as you head back downstairs, grabbing a gin and tonic on your way to the floor. Taking a sip of your drink, you notice a light glow emanating from your wrist. You hadn’t paid much attention during the tattoo process of the small rabbit and, under the hazy glow of the black lights, you realise that UV ink surrounds your tattoo, resulting in a tiny, glowing rabbit on your wrist. Erwin is a smart, sneaky man. The design and makeup of the tattoo is perfect for situations such as this, making it easy for buyers to seek out sellers.

As if on queue, a couple of girls approach you with cash, one girl leaning in and asking for ketamine. You shake her hand with the small baggie pressed against your palm, sliding it into her own. It’s not that you’re worried about getting caught here, the majority of the patrons are wired already and will soon be looking for more. Furthermore, Erwin has the city’s government and police force wrapped around his finger. This does nothing to abate your undercurrent of nervousness. 

A few hours later, you’ve had enough gin and tonics to call it a night. You swing your hips to the rumbling bass, feet shuffling side to side and messy hair bouncing around your shoulders. You’re so drunk you can’t feel the cold of your drink sloshing out of your glass and sluicing down your bare arm. Erwin, Nanaba and Mike are still lounging up in the VIP section, a fat cigar held between Erwin’s lips as he smirks at something Mike has said. Armin and Eren have joined them with a couple of girls, sitting on a couple of couches away from the older adults. 

A tight arm winds around your abdomen, pulling you into a hard chest and you spin around, indignant, attempting to lean back to see who’s grabbed you. You don’t recognise the young man, tall with broad shoulders and blonde hair. Frowning at him, you push a hand against his chest, trying to put distance between your bodies but his hold on you is steadfast. 

“Can I help you?” You ask with a scowl. 

He leans in close to speak against your ear. “Just wanted a dance, babe.”

You push harder against his shoulder but he doesn’t budge. 

“No thanks,” you say, words slurring. He removes his arm from your waist but remains close, a grin spreading across his face.

“Can I at least get some coke, then?” He purrs. Rolling your eyes, you take the money that he offers you and take a baggie from your clutch. As you’re handing it over to the man, he wraps a large hand around the wrist of your outstretched forearm, pulling you towards him once more. Before you can react, he’s shoving his tongue into your mouth, his other hand massaging your ass. 

As quickly as he’d grabbed you, he’s gone and you become aware of the fact that he’s splayed out on the floor, blood gushing from his nose in thick rivulets. You feel something brush against your arm and you glance over to see a bulging bicep. Your eyes travel up to an elegant neck, across slick, black hair and a sharp nose. Levi stands next to you in all his seething glory, his teeth bared viciously and icy eyes glowing. Levi throws a look at one of the bouncers who pushes through the crowd, grabbing the man by the back of his shirt and dragging him towards the exit. 

“Always coming to my rescue,” you drawl, a lazy smile tugging at your lips. You teeter on your heels, the alcohol impairing your balance. Levi lets his eyes wander over your body before meeting your gaze and giving you a long look. He’s wearing a form-fitting black t-shirt and black slacks rolled above the ankle. Your eyes widen at his casual outfit and your mouth goes dry just thinking about how nicely it suits him. You’ve never seen the man out of his expensive business attire, so it’s refreshing to see him more relaxed, even if his countenance is still as sullen as ever.

“You’re fucking hammered,” he comments bluntly. “Stop gaping.”

You hand him your drink before turning around and backing into him, your hips swaying with the music. Levi’s rests a palm lightly against your side to keep you from falling over, your movements sloppy. Behind you, his body is rigid, so you wrap your arm up and around his neck, his muscles tense.

“What are you doing?” He growls against the shell of your ear, his breath hot against you.

“Dance with me,” you hum contentedly, fingers flexing into his warm skin. The man remains still and you huff in annoyance, spinning in his hold to press your body into his, breasts pushing against his chest. His eyes flick down and his brow creases.

“I don’t dance,” he gripes, tongue clicking, even as his hand remains in place.

“You do now,” you reply cheekily as you place a palm beneath his hand holding the drink, forcing it to his lips and watching intently as he downs the rest of it. 

Hooking your fingers into his belt loops, you pull his pelvis into yours, grinding into him, your body undulating as you urge his body to shift with your own. His movements are still stiff, but at the very least you’ve gotten him to sort of dance. 

You let your head fall onto his shoulder, drunkenly giggling into the crook of his neck, your soft breath tickling against him. He sighs as he feels your soft, wet lips press against his pulse point, planting kisses into his skin. Levi’s other hand drifts up to your waist and lingers there hesitantly. 

“Ellie,” he warns in a low, rough voice that rumbles through his chest.

“Shut up, Levi,” you laugh as you lace your fingers with his and guide him towards the bathrooms. “Loosen up for once. You can’t stay mad at me forever.”

You miss the confusion that flashes through his grey eyes, quickly replaced by longing and desire as he follows close behind you.


End file.
